week 10 - unit 9 - us physical geography
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
1/31
UNIT 9A BRIEF SURVEY OF THE
AMERICAN PHYSICALGEOGRAPHY
General Geography of the UK & the US ULIS-VNU | Lecturer: Nguyen Dieu Hong
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
2/31
GENERAL FEATURES
A federal republic of 50 states:
- 48 conterminous
- 1 in the tropical part of the PacificOcean & 1 near the Arctic Circle
The 3rd largest country in the world
Extends for 4,500km from the
Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast
6 time zones
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
3/31
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
4/31
= GMT - 5
EDT = GMT 4Eastern Daylight Time
= GMT - 8
PDT = GMT 7Pacific Daylight Time
= GMT - 9
= GMT - 10= GMT - 10
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
5/31
TOPOGRAPHY
A tremendous variety in physical features
(from moist rain forest to arid desert &bald mountain peaks)
Mount McKinley inAlaska the highest
Death Valley in California the lowest
Three main parts:
- Eastern part
- Central part
- Western part
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
6/31
MOUNT MCKINLEY
Also called Denali(The Great One)
In Alaska
6,194 meters
The highest point inthe U.S
extremely coldweather
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
7/31
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
8/31
DEATH VALLEY
In California
89 meters below sealevel
long, low depressionset in largely barrenand unpopulatedcountry of desert
plains and rockyridges
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
9/31
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
10/31
THE EASTERN PART
The coastal plains:
- long, rolling lowland area
- stretch from Maine to Texas
- flat and swampy
- soil is very poor except in the fertile southern part
The Appalachian Mountains
- A chain of low, unbroken mountains, partly inCanada, but mostly in the United States
- Stretch from Maine to Alabama
- Contain enormous quantities of accessible coaland iron
Highest point : Mt. Mitchell (2,037 m)
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
11/31
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
12/31
THE CENTRAL PART
a vast plain
good soil
divided into :
- The Central Plains
- The Great Plains
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
13/31
CENTRAL PLAINS
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
14/31
GREAT PLAINS
North Dakota, South
Dakota, Nebraska,
Kansas, Oklahoma,
Texas, parts of New
Mexico, Colorado,
Wyoming and
Montana
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
15/31
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
16/31
THE WESTERN PART
a general name for this part is Cordillera
accounts for 1/3 of the US
a region of tremendous variety
subdivided into:- Eastern border :The Rocky Mountains
- Western edge
The Coastal Ranges along the western coast
A large plateau region between these two sets
of mountains
The Sierra Nevada and the Cascades
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
17/31
Rocky Mountains
great chain of ruggedmountain ranges in westernNorth America
stretch more than 3,000miles (4,800 kilometers)from British Columbia, inCanada, to New Mexico, inthe United States
highest peak is Mount Elbert(4,402 m)
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
18/31
The Cascades
Across centralWashington, Oregonand northern
California lie from about 160 to
240 km inland fromthe Pacific Ocean
Serial volcanic peaks Highest point : Mt.
Rainier (4,392 m)
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
19/31
The Sierra Nevada
Northern
California Spanish word
meaning SnowyMountain
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
20/31
The Coastal Ranges
The trough between
the Cascades along
with Sierra Nevada
and the Coastal
Ranges
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
21/31
Hawaii
A chain of 20 islands,only 7 of which areinhabited.
Mountain islandsformed by volcanicactivity
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
22/31
RIVER SYSTEM IN THE US
Immense long rivers
A large number of rivers in the eastern part
Mississippi-Missouri-Red Rock systemextends for 6,176 km before entering the
Gulf of Mexico
The Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee are
tributaries of the Mississippi
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
23/31
Mississippi
is one of the world'smajor river systemsin size, habitatdiversity, and
biologicalproductivity
is an Ojibwa(Chippewa) Indianword meaning greatriveror gathering ofwaters
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
24/31
Mississippi
is the 2nd longest river inNorth America, flowing3,730 km from its sourceat Lake Itasca in theMinnesota North Woods
Missouri - Mississippiriver system ranks fourthin length of the world's
rivers
(Source : US GeologicSurvey,1990)
The source of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
25/31
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
26/31
WEATHER AND CLIMATE
Every type of climate, from artic tosubtropical.
Not generally temperate.
Tremendous size of NA landmass heightensthe extreme variations in temperature andprecipitation, esp. in the central regions.
A humid continental climate with hot
summers and cold winters.
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
27/31
Hot and very humid
summers, less rainfall to
the west
moderately rainywith humid
summers
Extremely humid
summers
Hottest and
most arid region
Rainless, foggy in
the summer
Warm & dry in the
winter
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
28/31
WEATHER AND CLIMATE
The hottest and most arid region: Thesouthwest of the Great Plains
The Pacific coast is rainless but foggy in
summer and warm and dry in winter The eastern part is moderately rainy with
humid summers
The USA is subject to a range of climate-
related calamities
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
29/31
NATURAL RESOURCES
possesses vast non fuel natural resources:iron, zinc, copper, silver and phosphate rock
produces 1/4 of the worlds coal, 1/7 of its
petroleum nuclear power
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
30/31
Comprehension Check
2. In North America
Alaska and Hawaii
Pacific and Atlantic
The country presents a tremendous varietyin physical features
Appalachian mountains
Central Plains and Great Plains
The Sierra Nevada, the Cascades and theCoastal Ranges.
-
8/8/2019 Week 10 - Unit 9 - US Physical Geography
31/31
3
Weather features
Climate not generally
temperate
Spectacular weather inGreat Plains andMidwest
Southwest part of GreatPlains very arid
Causes
The tremendous size of N.
America heightens extremesvariations.
The lack of natural barriers
either to the north or the
south.
The rain shadow created by
the West Pacific range and
the Sierra Nevada.